Senior Director, Product and Technology

Propel America

13d•$113,000 - $153,200•Remote

About The Position

Propel America is seeking a product and technology leader to guide its technology roadmap and implementation during a period of organizational growth and transformation. The role is part of the newly formed Solutions Team and reports directly to the Vice President of Solutions. The position serves as Propel’s core technology lead, managing product execution, the technology stack, integrations, vendors, and technical staff, including a Salesforce Administrator and Junior Product Developer. The Director will shape and deliver technology products such as the Applicant and Fellow Portal, guide AI integration, and ensure systems are secure, scalable, reliable, and responsive to the needs of fellows, applicants, employers, and staff. The role also oversees Salesforce and other enterprise systems, information security and privacy, the outsourced Managed IT Service Provider, technology budgeting, and cross-functional technology integration. The position includes staff training and change management when new tools are introduced.

Requirements

6–8 years of experience in product or technology, including at least 3 years managing people.
Experience with product discovery, writing and developing technology requirements, and bringing products to market.
Demonstrated experience directly managing technical staff, such as developers, database administrators, or systems engineers, and fostering a collaborative, high-performance team culture.
Deep understanding of the Salesforce ecosystem, database schemas, and cloud-based integrations.
Proven experience managing technology vendors, software developers, and external IT consultants or Managed Service Providers.
Strong familiarity with Agile software development methodologies, including Scrum or Kanban.
Experience leveraging AI, APIs, or machine learning integration in customer-facing products.
Experience managing personally identifiable information and other secure data.
Exceptional ability to translate education and business requirements into pragmatic, scalable technology plans.
Practical understanding of cybersecurity protocols, access control frameworks, and compliance auditing.
Outstanding verbal and written communication skills, with a focus on simplicity, clarity, active listening, and cross-functional collaboration.
Strong alignment with Propel America’s values of innovation, courage, joy, team, equity, and impact.

Nice To Haves

Prior experience in the nonprofit, workforce development, or education technology sectors.
Product engineering experience or knowledge of coding.
Salesforce certification, such as Admin or Platform App Builder, or experience with Nonprofit/Education Cloud.
Experience designing products for young adults or mobile-first users.
Experience with low-code/no-code tools.

Responsibilities

Develop the technology roadmap and product vision for Propel’s technology products, including the Applicant and Fellow Portal.
Manage the Junior Product Developer and oversee development of the Fellow Portal, including coding standards, version control, and security practices.
Guide implementation of AI-integrated tools in the Fellow Portal to accelerate development and improve functionality and user experience.
Establish development workflows, including Agile methods, code reviews, and deployment pipelines, to streamline releases and minimize technical debt.
Translate strategic product requirements into prioritized technical backlogs with the VP of Solutions and key stakeholders.
Collaborate with the Director, Content Solutions and Product Director, Apprenticeship on technology requirements for PropelRecruit, Apprenticeship, TTE, and Hire Ready Content.
Define and track product success measures, including adoption, engagement, completion, and time-to-placement.
Conduct discovery with fellows, applicants, and employers through interviews, usability testing, and feedback loops.
Oversee quality assurance, testing, release management, and technical documentation.
Own the strategic and operational direction of IT infrastructure, software development, and data systems.
Ensure the reliability, scalability, and security of core enterprise systems, including Salesforce, Google Cloud, forms software, virtual private servers, website hosting, and code management workflows.
Lead architecture and platform decisions in partnership with the VP of Solutions.
Evaluate and select software and vendors, and negotiate contracts and renewals.
Manage the Salesforce Administrator and ensure Salesforce supports program operations, student tracking, and data-driven decisions.
Audit the technology stack to reduce overlap, consolidate licenses, and improve data flow across departments.
Set and implement cybersecurity, information security, and data privacy standards, including oversight of data flows and compliance with FERPA, health information, and funder requirements.
Serve as the primary technical contact and relationship manager for the outsourced Managed IT Service Provider.
Work with the MSP to manage Level 1 help desk tickets, user accounts, daily IT support, network infrastructure, backups, disaster recovery, and device lifecycles.
Identify technology budget needs and work with the VP of Solutions to develop the annual budget.
Set responsible-AI guidelines for acceptable use, data handling, bias review, and human oversight.
Partner with the Solutions Team to integrate technology into products and solutions.
Work with the Senior Director of Evaluation and Learning to make Salesforce the source of truth for data.
Collaborate with the Partnerships team to incorporate employer and fellow feedback into technology priorities and solution development.
Lead the technology team in supporting cross-functional and organizational priorities while modeling Propel’s core values.
Train staff on systems and lead change management when tools are rolled out.